The Extended GoodBye For The Beginning In The End
by LizD
Summary: More more MISSING last scene to add to the pile - oh yeah and a rant, but you don't need to read that.


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The Extended Good-Bye For The Beginning In The End

By LizD

Booth stood on the tarmac watching her plane. He shouldn't be there - on the tarmac, at the airport, off base. He was back in the Army, they were less forgiving than the FBI, but she was his partner. Partners came before the Army and the FBI; partners trumped family, friends and lovers. She was his partner at least until the plane took off. Actually that was no longer true. When he accepted his commission, when she accepted the position in Manalulupei - or wherever - they effectively ended their partnership. He was just hanging on to the last second hoping that something might change.

The plane taxied, waited for instructions and headed down the runway. He saw it lift off and climb. She was really going. They would meet again - probably, but for the near future she was gone. He was shipping out next week too; he would be gone. They were done. He wondered if the promise to meet one year later was just to make it easier to say good-bye for good. So much would change in a year. Would it make her heart grow fonder or would he just be someone who was out of sight, out of mind. His feelings for her were constant and steady, but he wasn't the kind of guy to wait - even for destiny.

The plane banked and disappeared into the clouds. She was gone. He wondered if they would really make that date. He wondered if they would ever be partners again. He felt like a fool standing there watching the point in the sky where he had last seen her plane. What was he waiting for?

"Booth," her voice called to him from behind.

He flipped around and saw her standing there, bag and baggage as he had left her moments before. "What? Wait? Your plane?"

"I guess I missed my flight," she said walking slowly toward him with an enigmatic smile. How she found him on the tarmac was impossible to know, but she was a genius in so many other ways.

"But why did you ...?" He didn't understand.

"Last night ... I needed to clarify a few things about last night." She stepped toward him. "There is another plane in an hour ... and one in the morning."

He advanced on her. "You were pretty clear ... last night, you were clear."

"Was I?"

"In my mind. You said you needed some time away from murder and murderers. You suggested that it could be as long as a year on your dig or whatever. You said that you understood why I had to go. You threatened me with bodily harm if I didn't watch out for myself ... and that you expected for us to ---."

"I'm not comfortable with you going to a war zone."

"Not wild about that part myself," he said. "But you won't be entirely safe either. Of course being with Daisy ..."

"I won't be there to protect you," she said raising her voice.

"Bones," he stepped closer. "I don't want or need your protection." It was a harsh statement but it wasn't meant harshly. "I know about risk. I know what I can handle. I can take care of myself."

"You said that last night." When he said it the night before she didn't think he was referring to the hazards of war. When he said it the night before, she assumed he was referring to his heart. He didn't need her protection from her.

"I meant what I said."

"I'm sorry." Her voice started to crack.

"Bones?"

"I love you, Booth." A flood gate opened and tears came pouring out.

"Bones."

"You taught me ... you showed me ... you made me believe ... but I just wasn't ready. Now it is too late."

"Bones, Bones," he wrapped her up in an embrace. "Shhhh .. stop ... just stop. It will be OK."

"How can you say that?" she cried into his shoulder. "You said that we would be together again in a year but anything can happen in a year ... anything."

"I know." He pulled back to look at her. "But we are so far from over that a little time apart might be a good thing."

"How do you believe that?" She pushed away from him. "How do you even think that? What math gets you to believe that a year won't change everything?"

"Because of right now."

"Booth," she protested.

"Change your flight to tomorrow."

"How will that make anything better?"

"Things can change in a year ... things can change in a moment." He searched her eyes. "Give us that moment," he commanded.

She nodded.

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Author Rant about S5 Finale / Speculation for S6 - put it at the end so you don't have to read it.

Here are the things that I didn't like about S5 finale:

1) Wanted one real serious tear jerking scene from Brennan. Wanted to see her crumple on to the floor in gut wrenching sobs showing the audience that her heart was breaking and she had to get as much time and distance as she could from the objects of her pain. I say objects [plural] because she has more than just Booth coming at her. She is in some serious psychological pain that she is being forced to deal with and her friends just keep pushing. I will say that Booth tried and backed off pretty quickly. He has been a very good friend to her in spite of the major ego hit he took and continues to take from her. I don't blame him for wanting to get away either. Sometimes stepping back is the only way to move forward. And anyone who believes that falling into bed with Booth would fix all her problems is sadly mistaken.

2) I hate the ONE YEAR time limit. How damned convenient? She will magically find what she is looking for in 365 days? Not earlier, not later ... not "I don't know how long I will be gone, it could go on for YEARS or I could be done in a month depending upon what is found." How did Booth only get a year TO THE DAY - don't know much about how they deploy people in that position, but I am thinking that it is pretty naive to think that the Army would go to all the trouble to get him back in uniform to let him go in a exactly 365 days from the date he reupped. Maybe I am naive. And meeting at the reflecting pool? Seriously? I mean I guess that is romantic, but would it be more realistic to think that they would be talking, emailing, writing to each other over the year and would coordinate a reunion when it was feasible. Wouldn't it have been more heart wrenching for them to say that they will contact each other as often as they could (knowing that it would diminish over time as time and distance grew between them) and promise that they will see each other again someday, somewhere, sometime, when both know very well that neither one can make that promise. He is going to a war zone, who knows what she will fine. Hell, one of them could get hit by a taxi on the way to the Empire State Building - er - um - the Reflecting pool. Sweets and Daisy at least said a real good-bye - not some mealy mouthed "it is only a year". Expected more for Booth and Brennan. They are much more practical than Sweets and Daisy. Would have cried if they left it that open ended.

3) Finally call me a voyeur, but I wanted to see the last private moment between Booth and Brennan. The last scene at the airport was fine as it was, but I wanted to see the time before. I do not believe it was on the bench. I do not believe that they made their DATE over the phone. I am not saying that they had to kiss, have sex or declare their undying love - but I would have liked to have seen them sharing some Chinese food and reminiscing a bit - some sad laughter, and honest declaration of friendship, a tentative hug good night and a reluctant good-bye. Apparently that was too much to hope for. Too much time on the 'case' for so little pay off ("I pushed him and he couldn't take it" -- Hmm ... was that analogous to anyone we know? If they were going to be so pointed why didn't they skip the whole Gnome bit and go right to it, we would have had time for a few more B&B moments).

What I like is the idea of change - change the show format, change the characters motivations/circumstances, change their focus. It has been said that S5 was about Booth accepting his feelings for Brennan. So now it is Brennan's turn. Fine, I am Ok with that. Ok with the idea that they don't get together any time soon. I am OK with the idea that the FBI and the Jeffersonian aren't in the picture. I would love to see Booth and Brennan getting drawn back to each other in various creative ways (Brennan getting called in by the Army and having to work with Booth, Brennan calling Booth to help with something she is dealing with, Hodgins and Angela in trouble and B&B need to help them - whatever - be creative; take us out of the lab and out of Washington for just a little while. The writers have a clean slate to do ANYTHING they want. They have a loyal fan base that wants two things: the characters they have come to love and some version of a case. Doesn't have to be: find a body, dig up some clues, catch the murder. I think the audience will be happy with B&B working together as long as there is banter and no weirdness. What I don't want is S6 to open with their hands joined at the reflecting pool a year later with SURPRISE significant others or any other bizarre notion. Please do not expect me to swallow that they would a) not communicate in a year and b) meet at the reflecting pool with a new lover in one or both of their lives. (The new lovers is pure speculation and a wink and a nod from Stephan Nathan, but in the world of TV - not out of the realm of PLOT DEVISES used by TPTB) B&B have come to far as characters in five years to let one year flush it all away particularly if it is some damned plot device to keep the 'will they won't they' fresh - cause it won't. It will just be annoying, trite and hackneyed.

Do I trust TPTB to do their best? Yes. Will there best be what I have in mind - probably not, but it is their show, their characters, their livelihoods that they have to think about. A hand fun of fans, even rabid fans with at Twitter account are not going to get them to change their minds. Their agenda is to keep the show running or let it go and move on to the next gig. I trust that they want to do what is best for the many - and I don't mean fans, I mean the many that are employed by the studio to produce Bones and the advertisers that buy airtime. Fans count, but not as much as we would like to think.

Sadly I have become a rabid fan in the past month or more. I had been a casual fan before that for all five years, but have really turned rabid recently. I am taking the summer to go back to being a casual fan. A lot easier on the heart.

Until I get into that 12 step program, there is FanFixtion - so without further ado ... a an added scene to the finale of S5.


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